Memorial
president reflects
on past and looks forward
On the three-year renewal of his term as president, Axel Meisen
reflects on the challenges and rewards of his position

By Ivan Muzychka

It is a typically busy day when I drop by to interview Dr.
Axel Meisen, Memorial University’s seventh president.
Usually I am in his office to sit in on one of the numerous
media interviews that he does as part of his job. Today, however,
I am there to interview Dr. Meisen and to get a glimpse of
his view of the future.

Since Dr. Meisen arrived at Memorial in 1999, the university
has recorded a number of significant successes. A new oil
and gas development partnership was launched, with Memorial
establishing itself as a top university in oil and gas studies
and research. New programs have been created, including a
master’s program in oil and gas studies, a master’s
program in music, a doctoral program in education and a diploma
program in police studies. Over the past five years, research
funding from external agencies has more than doubled –
rising from $30 million to $74 million - and Dr. Meisen is
sure that Memorial’s annual research funding can reach
$100 million per year by 2010. Student enrolments have also
risen (from 15,500 to 17,700) and the university is expanding
its marketing efforts both inside and outside the province.
In addition, Dr. Meisen has championed the expansion and renovation
of the Harlow Campus facilities and program. On the West Coast,
he has overseen the creation of the outstanding Bonne Bay
Marine Station and the construction of first-rate residences
on the Sir Wilfred Grenfell College campus in Corner Brook.
The Office of Student Services has created award-winning support
programs for students and a new student centre, the Smallwood
Centre has replaced the outdated Thomson Student Centre. The
Field House was constructed and incorporated into The Works,
a new recreational complex that is widely used by members
of the university and outside community. It is the site of
the Sea-Hawks teams and the location of a new wellness program
for university employees.

Dr. Meisen with Inco head Scott
Hand and then-premier Roger Grimes at the announcement
of the Inco Innovation Centre.

Dr. Meisen is now anticipating the opening
of the Inco Innovation Centre, a $20 million research facility,
and the Petro-Canada Hall, an extension to the School of Music,
on the St. John’s campus.

While this listing of accomplishments and the numbers tell
of a successful first five years, Dr. Meisen characteristically
shifts the focus to the less obvious changes. He is tempermentally
driven to delve deeper into things, and he soon moves his
attention to the “less visible” but equally important
changes.

“There are the much more subtle changes on our campuses,
changes that relate to the human environment,” he says
in a measured tone. “My own sense is that our internal
and external working relationships are significantly improved,
and people treat each other with respect. Some of the hard
cleavages that I understand used to exist are less evident.
That is not to say that everything is rosy, but the environment
has improved. This is not only the result of what I am doing;
many people have contributed to these changes.”

Campus relations may be more relaxed today but this climate
is the result of a diligent and conscious effort. There were
rough patches. Soon after he became president, Memorial endured
a faculty strike, the university’s first. Still, Dr.
Meisen and his team, with help from the provincial government,
were able to strike a deal that saw faculty salaries move
towards the national average for comprehensive universities.
Recent agreements with the faculty association continued this
trend and Dr. Meisen thinks that this will help with the recruitment
and retention of faculty at Memorial. Significant advances
have also been made for staff salaries, which he considers
to be of equal importance.

Memorial University looms large in the social, economic and
cultural life of the province that gave it life. Becoming
the leader of Memorial necessarily entails becoming a Newfoundlander
and Labradorian of sorts. As I talk with Dr. Meisen, a chemical
engineer, I cannot resist wondering aloud how he feels about
the move to the province from Vancouver where he had spent
the last 30 years, both in the University of British Columbia
and in the business world.

“I feel that I am part of this province even though
I was not born here,” he said. “Partly because
of my position and partly because of my personal interests,
I have had the good fortune to meet many Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians, not just in official settings, but also in personal
settings. It has been fascinating and satisfying to become
part of the well-woven social fabric that exists in this province
to a greater extent than in other parts of Canada. I lived
in Vancouver where most people, at least those associated
with the university, appear to be the equivalent of what we
call “CFAs” (come from aways). Fortunately, I
have lived and worked in many cultural settings in the world,
in Southeast Asia and South America; I was born and raised
in Europe. I think all of that has helped me to feel at home
here.”

Clearly, the social, cultural and economic life of this province
are bound together with Memorial, a point not lost on a president
who tries to speak with as many community groups as his schedule
will allow.

“Even though I am not a ‘townie’ in that
I am from away and have an equal affection for and interest
in people from all regions of our province, some people characterize
me as a townie, which I find strange. To counter this, I spend
a significant amount of time in smaller communities in Newfoundland
and in Labrador, and I listen to people’s concerns and
aspirations. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are very personable
people and it is the personal dimension of relationships that
is very, very important. I have found that I can deal with
complex situations better in person than in writing or by
telephone.”

Looking ahead
Not one to rest on his laurels, Dr. Meisen is looking ahead
to new goals. What does he see in Memorial’s future?
“I think the university will maintain its commitment
to excellent teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels
while becoming more research intensive,” he says, referring
to the upward track of the university’s external research
funding and growing graduate student enrolment. “The
research we will undertake will focus on the problems and
opportunities of our province, with particular emphasis on
those that have global significance. Research and development,
in which I include the creative arts and advanced professional
practice, are the ‘industry’ of the future.”

Dr. Meisen and honorary graduate
Dr. John Lau.

“Research and development undertaken at
Memorial University will become an attractor for people from
other parts of Canada and other parts of the world. There
are many who would want to come to this province to build
a career in research,” Dr. Meisen explained. “I
think Memorial is one of the best portals into the province.
When students come to Memorial University, they stay for several
years and have ample time to adjust. They have an opportunity
to understand this place, they make friends and some even
marry Newfoundlanders and Laradorians. I therefore see the
university as not only shaping the future economy of the province,
but also growing the population of the province.”

Dr. Meisen routinely arrives early at his office and leaves
late, sometimes very late. Add to this a busy travel schedule
(he is one of the university’s and the province’s
busiest ambassadors) and you have the recipe for an incredible
time crunch.

“The one big challenge I face on a daily basis is to
find enough time to do the things that must be done, and balance
that with what should be done,” he noted. “There
is an enormous amount of work that is important but routine
and that needs to be dealt with. If I am not careful, it can
fill the entire day. I find it sometimes does not leave time
to think about the other things that are even more important.”

Other challenges centre on one of Dr. Meisen’s main
concerns: people. “More subtly, one of my challenges
is to continue to strive for personal engagement with people,”
he said. “People want to know that you do care about
them as people, not just as colleagues, experts or students.
People expect this from me and people are really important
to me.”

Clearly, Dr. Meisen enjoys his job. When asked
why he has so much passion and energy for the effort, he notes
that he derives an inherent satisfaction in doing things well.

“I have a sense of duty and it gives me pleasure to
do a job well. While it may not be 100 per cent perfect –
there is always room for improvement – I like to know
that with any given situation or project, we took it as far
as we could have.”

He plainly admits that he prefers innovation and creativity
over routine, a fact that sometimes causes tension with those
around him. “I am especially satisfied if I find some
new approach or new idea,” he says. “I am almost
never content to do the same thing in the same way. I believe
that if we are highly creative and innovative, Memorial can
make for itself a place amongst the very best universities
in the world.”

Memorial’s critical role
His renewal term holds its share of challenges. The provincial
government is getting ready to release a white paper on post-secondary
education. Dr. Meisen is hoping that the government will provide
the university with some certainty on its budget, translating
into more effective planning for Memorial. He is also looking
to the white paper for some clarity on university tuition
as a public policy issue. Beyond the white paper, internal
budgeting issues always present challenges. In addition, there
are issues related to regional provision of university programs
and services (west coast and central Newfoundland, Labrador)
which are continuously being addressed but which, he says,
will take more ingenuity to solve.

But as he looks to the future, Dr. Meisen’s confidence
and optimism for both the university and for the province
shine through. “Newfoundland and Labrador will always
exist as a vibrant and unique centre of industry and culture,”
he says, countering those who sometimes see the province’s
prospects in dimmer lights. And he is certain that Memorial
will continue to play an important role in the life of the
people of this province.

“We are committed to meeting the aspirations of the
people of this province, as individuals and as communities,”
is how he summarizes it. “If we strive to do that, then
I think we are doing well. Meeting the aspirations of the
people will keep us moving in the right direction. Recently,
Judge James Igloliorte, an alumnus and honorary graduate,
said to me that, ‘Memorial gave me opportunities that
could I not even have dreamt about. Not just because it made
me study and learn, but because of the people I came in contact
with.’”

Dr. Meisen agrees that Memorial University is a great place
to study and a place where friendships are formed and nurtured.

“Infrastructure and money for teaching and research
are important, but they result from a commitment to excellence,
creativity, community and friendship. This is what we at Memorial
University stand for and this is how I would like us to act.
If I can convey to the people both inside and outside the
university that this is the true Memorial – and not
just a polished image – then I will have done a good
job.”

With the interview over, I begin to leave as Dr. Meisen walks
back to his computer to check new e-mails and to the hectic
job of steering the ship of Memorial to new and exciting places.